How I started my trade compliance career and my advice to others

Most people have never heard of trade compliance so it made me wonder how did most start their careers in the field?

If they were like me, they most likely stumbled into the industry, gained valuable on-the-job knowledge, sharpened their skills and became so adept they took on more responsibility and, eventually, trade compliance leadership positions in their respective companies.

For me, it started with an interest in international affairs, import-export, supply chain, and global business, which led to credentialing and more job growth.  

After a move back to my native Minnesota in 2012, I was able to convince a small importer that I could be an asset to their company. Being a start-up, I had free range with helping out in many different areas and eventually got experience in logistics, supply chain, and trade compliance.

As I started to cooperate with our client’s trade compliance team to make sure our Asia products were able to be imported into the US, the whole new world of trade compliance, Customs, and HTS classification opened up.

At around this time, I enrolled in St. Paul College’s global trade certificate program where I learned more about the ins and outs of import-export, supply chain, and trade compliance.

This certification eventually led me to working for a larger supply chain company as the APAC (Asia-Pacific) global trade compliance specialist. I thoroughly enjoyed classifying the company’s retail products that were shipped to our client's overseas warehouses for their store openings. The nature of the work was fast-paced, team-oriented, and exciting.

As my interest in supply chain grew, I started studying for my Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) certification with APICS, the professional association for supply chain management professionals. I took several weeks of evening classes in order to prepare for the four test modules, which I eventually passed. 

Later, I joined the APICS Twin Cities chapter board as a young professional outreach volunteer working with local university students about supply chain careers. Joining APICS was one of the best decisions in my supply chain career as it allowed me to create a network of supply chain professionals.

All seemed to be going well until my medical device job ended abruptly, and I was presented with the choice of finding another trade compliance and supply chain job or try my shot at entrepreneurship which always held an interest in me.

Since I had made some very good Vietnam supplier contacts at my previous job, I decided to give entrepreneurship a shot and opened my Amazon and e-commerce businesses.

By 2016-2017, I was fully in on running my own e-commerce businesses and started to learn about a new phenomenon of being a digital nomad traveling Southeast Asia and working online through Johnny FD youtube and podcast content.

In 2017, I decided to go all in on my businesses living in Thailand and Vietnam. 

I lived six months in Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai, before moving to Vietnam’s beach town of Danang city. Eventually, I moved south for more entertainment and cultural arts a bigger city such as Ho Chi Minh City offered.

Nearly a year in Ho Chi Minh City, and after I sold my ecommerce business, I was offered a Vietnam sourcing position for a Shanghai-based China manufacturing and export company.

I spent most of my time researching and visiting Vietnam manufacturers exporting suitable products for our American and European markets.

Then, Covid set in and put many of our projects on hold for the next two years.

In 2023, I moved back to the US and landed a global trade compliance specialist position for an international logistics and supply chain company in Fort Myers, Florida. I have continued my education by preparing and sitting for both the October 2023 and April 2024 licensed Customs broker exam, though I did not score high enough to pass.  

As I continue to gain more trade compliance experience as well as professional certification (licensed Customs broker), I hope to move into a managerial or APAC-region specific role in the coming months and years. 

The world of trade compliance continues to develop and those with the combined work experience, industry knowledge and relevant credentials should be able to move up the career path.

It certainly has worked for me.